Hat-trick hero Suzuki fires Freiburg past Bremen in Bundesliga opener
SC Freiburg kicked off their Bundesliga season in style with a commanding 4-1 win over Werder Bremen, powered by a superb hat-trick from former Brondby forward Yuito Suzuki.
It was a start from Freiburg, who now have 8 wins from their last 9 meetings with Bremen and once again looked far sharper than their visitors.
Bremen never really settled. They have made a habit of starts to seasons and this was another one. Freiburg controlled most of the ball in the half and gradually turned that dominance into something much more damaging.
Match highlight
Jan-Niklas Bestes corner found Suzuki at the post after a clever run and the Japanese forward attacked it with real conviction to head Freiburg in front.
Beste nearly added another himself 5 minutes before the break with a long-range effort that drifted wide but Freiburg did get their second right on the edge of half-time.
A precise pass cut through Bremen players and found Igor Matanovic in space and the Croatian striker smashed a fierce effort from 25 metres beyond Karl Hein.
Conceding late in the half already made the task difficult but things quickly got even worse after the restart. Than 3 minutes into the second half the ball ricocheted across the area and dropped for Suzuki, who adjusted quickly and finished from close range to make it 3-0.
At that point Freiburg had control. They nearly killed the game less than 10 minutes later with another slick move. After winning the ball back Suzuki fed Matanovic, who drove into the area beat his man and then unselfishly squared it back for Suzuki to roll into the net and complete his hat-trick.
Bremen did manage a response when Dariusz Stalmach headed home from a corner but it changed nothing about the overall picture.
Freiburg had been better in every area and fully deserved to start the campaign with such a convincing win.
For Bremen it is another frustration. They are now winless in 12 Bundesliga opening matches, a run that continues to drag behind them every time a new season begins.
Freiburg meanwhile look full of belief again. They have now won 6 of their 8 Bundesliga openers and will head into the rest of the campaign feeling there may be another strong season, in them if this level holds.
